The journey to becoming a global icon for Arnold Schwarzenegger was meticulously planned. The Austrian Oak opened up about his first-ever dream of becoming a bodybuilder before ruling over Hollywood.

On June 5, 2025, the legend appeared on the Theo Von podcast and opened up about how, when Schwarzenegger first came to America, people started misjudging him as a football or wrestling player because of his well-built physique and massive size.

“I made it very clear in my interviews that my vision is to be the greatest bodybuilder of all times and to go then into acting," Schwarzenegger said. "So even when people came to me because I was always very good in business. I studied business. I got my degree in business while I was over here doing the training for bodybuilding."

According to the legend, he studied business administration at UCLA and Santa Monica City College.

Schwarzenegger has won the Mr Olympia title 7 times and appeared in popular movies, including The Terminator, Conan, and The Expendables.

However, his business mindset played a key role in his popularity in America. He admitted that people did not have much knowledge about bodybuilding at that time when he came to the country, and other bodybuilders were not very familiar with press interviews.

"It was like business administration, and I was just naturally always gifted for making deals and being creative," Schwarzenegger added.

It was his strategy to popularize sports in the country, and to that end, Schwarzenegger hired a publicist and appeared on talk shows.

While Schwarzenegger revealed his first dream of becoming a bodybuilder, the road was not easy.

Arnold Schwarzenegger Reveals What Motivated Him To Become the Greatest Bodybuilder

Growing up, Arnold Schwarzenegger lived in a modest‑income household in Austria. The bodybuilder always dreamed of making it big in bodybuilding.

That dream took shape by watching Reg Park and Steve Reeves star in films.

"As a teenager, I grew up with Steve Reeves. His remarkable accomplishments allowed me a sense of what was possible, when others around me didn’t always understand my dreams," The Terminator star said in 2000. "Steve Reeves has been part of everything I’ve ever been fortunate enough to achieve.”

However, he did not only dream about it but also put in hard work.

Schwarzenegger once admitted that after returning from school in Austria, he would quickly start workouts in the kitchen without even having his lunch.

So, Schwarzenegger not only dreamed about it; he created his own path.

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Written by

Supradeep Dutta

Edited by

Shubhi Rathore